Metallica

Posted 13 September 2016 - 03:54 AM

The Malwarebytes research team has determined that CatHomePage is a browser hijacker. These so-called "hijackers" manipulate your browser(s), for example to change your startpage or searchscopes, so that the affected browser visits their site or one of their choice. This one also displays advertisements.CatHomePage is a Mindspark/Ask toolbar now known as IAC Applications.

How do I know if my computer is affected by CatHomePage?

You may see these browser extensions/add-ons:

You may see this entry in your list of installed software:

these warnings during install:

this warning in your Google Chrome settings:

and this startpage for your browser(s):

How did CatHomePage get on my computer?

Browser hijackers use different methods for distributing themselves. This particular one was downloaded from their site.

How do I remove CatHomePage?

Our program Malwarebytes Anti-Malware can detect and remove this potentially unwanted program.You can use their own uninstall instructions first, but I would advise to follow the steps below anyway.

We hope our application and this guide have helped you eradicate this hijacker.

As you can see below the full version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware would have protected you against the CatHomePage hijacker. It would have warned you before the hijacker could install itself, giving you a chance to stop it before it became too late.